Ministry of Public Works Undersecretary Awatef Al- Ghuneim said the Road sector remains committed to its promise to keep the public updated on the latest developments regarding the implementation of vital projects, reports Al-Anba daily.

Speaking on the sidelines of the inauguration of the exhibition on the two projects at the ministry building recently, Al-Ghuneim affirmed the sector is fully aware of the need to work with full transparency, especially the two projects that are considered the biggest in the Middle East – Jamal Abdul Nasser and Jahra roads.

She disclosed these projects will be inaugurated in stages, confirming Jamal Abdul Nasser Road will be completed by the end of 2016 while Jahra Road will be completed in the second half of the same year. She revealed the ministry has 42 projects in the pipeline; including the intersections along the Fifth and Sixth Ring roads, as well as the development of Damascus and Cairo roads. She added most of these 42 projects will be implemented in the next three years.

Meanwhile, Director of the Elderly Welfare Department at the Ministry of Social Affairs and Labor Sa’ad Al- Kharaz has unveiled a project he regards as “massive and sophisticated”, presented by Minister of Social Affairs and Labor and State Minister for Planning and Development Hind Al- Sabeeh, to construct Sabah Al-Ahmad Elderly Welfare Home on a 50,000 square-meter land, reports Al-Rai daily. Al-Kharaz said the project will be the first of its kind in the Middle East to serve as a tourist destination for the elderly. He disclosed the project includes chalets and each of which will have all the necessary amenities for recreation and treatment.

He indicated the elderly will be able to visit the place daily or weekly, hoping for the immediate implementation of the project. He added a new law on elderly social welfare was referred recently to the Legal Affairs Department in the ministry to replace the current law. He affirmed the new law will best serve interests of the senior citizens by giving them certain entitlements and rights.

In the meantime, the Central Tenders Committee (CTC) has once again adjourned the tenders on the new passenger building at Kuwait International Airport with the coalition of Kharafi National Company and Turkish Lymac Company presenting the lowest offer – KD1.312 billion; while the highest offer came from Al-Masiya Engineering Company – KD1.606 billion.

This is the second time that the project was put up for bidding. The General Tenders Law stipulates that the tenders should be referred to the Ministry of Public Works for further study by the Technical Committee in the Construction Projects Sector.